The 2019 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of revenue. The cash funds portion of the appropriation is decreased. Appropriations made in Senate Bill 19-248, concerning a requirement that the director of research of the legislative council convene a working group to conduct an analysis of the state tax system used by the department of revenue, are amended to clarify that the money appropriated is to be used by the executive director's office for personal services. Appropriations made in House Bill 19-1230, concerning marijuana hospitality establishments, are amended to clarify the uses of the amount appropriated. Appropriations made in House Bill 19-1234, concerning allowing delivery of regulated marijuana by regulated marijuana sellers, are amended to clarify the uses of the amount appropriated. Appropriations made in House Bill 19-1090, concerning measures to allow greater investment flexibility in marijuana businesses, are amended to clarify the uses of the amount appropriated. Appropriations made in House Bill 19-1327, concerning sports betting, are amended to clarify the uses of the amount appropriated. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act expands the types of election equipment and supplies for which counties can be reimbursed from the local elections assistance cash fund. Counties can also be reimbursed for the incremental increase in costs to lease that equipment, in addition to purchases of equipment that are currently eligible for reimbursement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The 2019 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of education. The general funds portion is increased and the federal funds portion is decreased, resulting in an overall increase to the department. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The 2019 general appropriation act is amended to balance and make adjustments to the total amount appropriated to the department of higher education. The general fund portion of the appropriation is increased and the federal funds portion is decreased, resulting in no change in the total amount appropriated to the department. Appropriations made in House Bill 19-1196, concerning student financial assistance for students who are classified as in-state students for tuition purposes, are amended to add another appropriation to the department for a financial aid assessment tool and 0.2 FTE. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act clarifies that any elector who has preregistered to vote, is 17 years of age on the date of a precinct caucus, and will be 18 years of age on the date of the next general election may either vote at any caucus, assembly, or convention or be elected as a delegate to any assembly or convention even though the elector has been affiliated with the political party for less than 22 days. Under current law, no later than 21 days prior to the date of the precinct caucus, the county clerk and recorder is required to furnish, without charge to each major political party in the county, a list of the registered electors in the county who are affiliated with that political party. The act changes this deadline to 18 days prior to the date of the precinct caucus in a year in which a political party's precinct caucus is held on the first Saturday following the presidential primary election. The act changes the period a candidate for precinct committeeperson must have been a resident of the precinct from 30 days to 22 days before the caucus. The act also changes the period during which such candidate must have been affiliated with the political party from 2 months to 22 days before the caucus. An exception to these requirements in current law specifies that any person who has attained the age of 18 years or who has become a naturalized citizen during the 2 months immediately preceding the precinct caucus may be a candidate for the office of precinct committeeperson even though the individual has been affiliated with the political party for less than 2 months. The act changes each of these 2-month deadlines to 22 days. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act adds 2 voting positions to the Colorado youth advisory council for representatives from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and reduces the number of at-large members from 5 to 3. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Education - concurrent enrollment advisory board - continuation under sunset law. The act continues the concurrent enrollment advisory board (advisory board) until September 1, 2024. Prior to its repeal, the advisory board shall be reviewed.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Property tax - residential assessment rate. Based on a residential target percentage that is equal to 45.69%, the act lowers the residential assessment rate from 7.2% to 7.15% for property tax years commencing on and after January 1, 2019, until the next property tax year that the general assembly adjusts the rate.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Training and testing restrictions with certain firefighting foams - restriction on sale of certain firefighting foams - notification of chemicals in protective equipment -survey. The act prohibits the use of class B firefighting foam that contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS foam) for training purposes or for testing firefighting foam fire systems and creates a civil penalty for doing so. The act also creates the "Firefighting Foams Control Act" (act) which: Prohibits the sale of PFAS foam in certain circumstances; Requires manufacturers of PFAS foam to notify sellers of the provisions of the act; Requires manufacturers to disclose whether the personal protective equipment they produce contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances; Allows for the department of public health and environment to request a certificate of compliance from a manufacturer of class B firefighting foam or firefighting personal protective equipment to ensure that those manufacturers are complying with the limitations on the manufacture of PFAS foam as set forth in the act; Creates a civil penalty for violating the provisions of the act; and Requires the department of public health and environment to conduct a survey to determine the amount of PFAS foam currently held, used, and disposed of by fire departments.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Parks and wildlife - increased fines - disposition of fines collected. With regard to fines imposed for violations of laws enforced by the division of parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources (division), the act changes the amount of certain fines and modifies the disposition of money collected from fines. Under current law, the state treasurer is required to credit half of the money collected from a fine imposed for a violation of laws enforced by the division to the general fund and half of the money to either the fund administered by the division that is relevant to the type of violation committed, if a division officer issued the citation, or to the local government or other state agency whose law enforcement officer issued the citation. Sections 4, 24, 32, and 36 of the act modify the disposition of fines collected as follows: If a parks and wildlife officer issues a citation for a fine, the state treasurer is required to credit all of the money collected from the associated fine to the fund administered by the division that is relevant to the type of violation committed; or If any other Colorado peace officer issues a citation for a fine, the state treasurer is required to credit half of the money collected from the associated fine to the fund administered by the division that is relevant to the type of violation committed and half of the money to the local government or other state agency whose law enforcement officer issued the citation. Sections 3 and 35 increase the fine for a violation of a rule for which there is not an associated statutory penalty listed from $50 to $100. Section 5 increases the following fines from $50 to $100: Procuring or using multiple licenses of the same type; possessing live wildlife without a license; fishing without a license; and hunting without having obtained a hunter education certificate. Section 6 modifies the fines for unlawfully possessing fish, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, or reptiles so that the fine is $35 for each such animal taken or possessed at one time. Section 7 increases the fine from $50 to $150 for refusing to allow an officer of the division or other peace officer to inspect personal identification documents, licenses, firearms, records, or wildlife and increases the fine from $50 to $100 for failing to void a license or carcass tag as required by the parks and wildlife commission (commission) by rule. Section 8 increases the fine for unlawfully transporting, exporting, importing, or releasing native wildlife from $50 to $200. Section 9 increases the fine for hunting, trapping, or fishing on private property or for unlawfully posting on or otherwise indicating that public land is privately owned land from $100 to $200. Section 10 increases the fines for failing to attempt to locate big game that has been wounded from $100 to $200 and for using wildlife as bait from $100 to $200. Section 11 increases the fine from $50 to $100 for failing to wear fluorescent pink or daylight fluorescent orange garments while hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, moose, or black bear with a firearm. Section 12 increases the fine for possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle from $50 to $100. Section 13 increases the fine for shooting from a public road from $50 to $100. Section 14 increases the fine for using division property in violation of any commission rule from $50 to $100. Section 15 increases the fine for knowingly luring a bear with food or edible waste from $100 to $200 for a first offense, $500 to $1,000 for a second offense, and $1,000 to $2,000 for a third or subsequent offense. Section 16 authorizes the commission, by rule, to allow for the possession, importation, exportation, shipment, or transportation of an aquatic nuisance species. Section 17 exempts from the prohibition against transferring park passes the transfer of a park pass pursuant to a commission rule regarding the manner by which a pass may be transferred. Section 18 increases the fine from $50 to $100 for using or possessing certain vessels that have not been issued a number. Section 19 increases the fine for violating certain personal watercraft equipment requirements from $50 to $100. Section 20 increases the fine for violating the minimum age requirements for operating a motorboat from $50 to $100. Section 21 increases the fine from $50 to $100 for operating a vessel: That is not properly equipped, in excess of noise restrictions, above wakeless speed, in violation of any commission rule, or, with respect to personal watercraft only, between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise. Section 21 also increases the fine for operating a vessel in a careless or imprudent manner from $100 to $200. Section 22 increases the fine from $100 to $200 for operating water skis or similar devices in a careless manner or operating a vessel towing water skis or a similar device in a manner as to cause the device or person on the device to collide with or strike an object or person. Section 22 also requires a person on a stand-up paddleboard to have a readily accessible personal flotation device and increases the fine from $50 to $100 for failing to wear a personal flotation device on water skis or similar devices, violating commission rules regarding the safe operation of water skis or similar devices, or violating commission rules prohibiting the use of single-chambered air-inflated devices on rivers or streams under certain conditions. Sections 23, 25 through 28, and 30 increase the fines for various snowmobile operational violations from $50 to $100. Section 29 increases the fine for operating a snowmobile in a careless or imprudent manner from $100 to $200. Section 29 also increases the fine from $50 to $100 for a snowmobile owner who, while the owner's snowmobile is under the owner's control, allows another to operate the snowmobile in a careless or imprudent manner, in a manner in wanton or willful disregard for safety, or under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Section 31 increases the fine for operating an unnumbered, unregistered off-highway vehicle (OHV) from $50 to $100. Section 31 also increases the fine from $35 to $100 for operating a nonresident-owned or -operated OHV that does not have a valid license or registration from another state or has been in this state for more than 30 days but for which a permit has not been issued. Section 33 increases the fine for operating an OHV in violation of road crossing restrictions from $50 to $100. Section 34 increases the fine for operating an OHV without obtaining and displaying an off-highway use permit from $50 to $100. Section 37 increases the fine for unlawful camping from $50 to $100 if the person is camping in an area located in a state park or state recreation area that is not designated for camping and adds a fine in an amount equal to 5 times the cost of a permit for a campsite if the person is camping at a campsite without having obtained a valid permit. Section 38 increases the fine from $50 to $100, with respect to a motor vehicle or vessel on property under the control of the division, for the following activities: Operating or parking outside of designated areas or in excess of posted speed limits; parking in a manner that impedes the normal flow of traffic; leaving a motor vehicle or vessel unattended for more than 24 hours; or operating or parking a motor vehicle without having first purchased a required pass or permit. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Media literacy advisory committee - recommendations - appropriation. The act creates the media literacy advisory committee (committee) within the department of education (department). The committee is responsible for creating a report for the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate regarding the committee's recommendations for implementing media literacy in elementary and secondary education. The commissioner of education is required to appoint members to serve on the committee. The department is required to hire a consultant to perform the research and coordination of the committee required to draft the report for the committee. The act makes an appropriation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Division of parks and wildlife - licensing of river outfitters - continuation under sunset law. The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report on the licensing of river outfitters by the division of parks and wildlife within the department of natural resources by continuing these functions until September 1, 2028. The act exempts the training of guides, trip leaders, and guide instructors from the authority of the private occupational schools division in the department of higher education. The act requires the parks and wildlife commission, rather than the chief of the Colorado state patrol, to promulgate rules to establish insurance requirements for vehicles used by river outfitters. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
